Printed cotton fabric



March 10. 1925.-

W. J. BAXTER PRINTED COTTON FABRIC Filed Oct. 15, 1924 Patented Mar. 10, 19 25.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM J. BAXTER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

PRINTED COTTON FABRIC,

Application filed October 15, 1924. Serial No. 743,741.

5 are threads of contrasting color, preferably a delicate or soft contrast, woven in the fabric. I

There are different types or characters of such French flannel; for example, one kind has threads of contrasting color appearing at somewhat irregular intervals over the surface of the fabric. to give the appearance of rather indeterminate fine spots and streaks or streaky zones. 7

In my copending application Serial No. 703,711, filed April 2, 1924, for printed cotton fabrics, I have described a cotton fabric printed to resemble this character of French flannel as more fully described in said specification.

Briefly stated, in simulating that char acter of French flannel, I printed over the surface of the cotton fabric fine dots pref erably irregularly grouped and of somewhat irregular character, to produce asoft toned stippled effect or ground tone, with streaks or streaky Zones of a somewhat darker shade extending irregularly over the ground having an overprint, and also embodying the tone, the streaks extending irregularly over the ground in the same general direction, and of varying widths and soft and somewhat blurred in appearance.

Another type or character of such French flannel is one in which the colored threads extend in rather fine closely spaced diagonal lines across the length of the fabric, for example, with fine uncolored diagonal lines. Due to the difference in texture between cotton and flannel, it is impossible tOsimulate this appearance by simply printing the fine solid or substantially solid colored lines diagonal- 1y across the fabric, and one of the objects of the present'i vent on is to provide a fine blue diagonal lines alternating printed cotton fabric to simulate this character of French flannel. Broadly .stated, this is accomplished by printing on the fabric the above-mentioned stippled ground tone, except forfine closely spaced'parallel lines of the surface running diagonally over the fabric, which lines are substantially free or sufiiciently free of said color to produce a contrast between the stippled ground and the said lines to give a serge-like effect. To further simulate a sergelike'fiannel effect, I utilize grey cotton fabric,'i.e., unbleached or only' partly bleached fabric, and in addition the fabric is given a soft finish, p'referably produced by roughening the surface ,of the flannel after the printing.

The invention consists in thenovel printed cotton fabrlc herein. descrlbed in connect on with the drawings forming a part of this specification and illustrating by way of example certain preferred embodiments of the invention". The invention; will be more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will more fully appear from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings illustrating by wa of exam le fabric embod hi the invention, in which- Fig. 1 shows the rlght side or upper surface ofa fabric embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 may be taken to illustrate the upper surface of a fabric of somewhat different pat-tern also embodying the invention, or it may illustrate the reverse or under surface of the fabric the upper surface of which is illustrated in' either Fig. 1 or Fig. 3; and

Fig. 8 illustrates a fabric like Fig. I, but

I diagonal uncolored, or sparsely colored lines are illustrated by nuinerals 2. It will be observed that the dots are of varying size, character and groupings so as to -give the above referred to soft stippled ground tone effect to the greatest advantage. It will also be observed, that the parallel diagonal lines streaky zones 3, which'are preferably of the same color as the stippled ground but of darker-shade; due to closer massing of'the coloredispots'or color, although these streaky 'zones'may'be produced byan entirely differ- I entcolor which will:softly'contrast or blend with the stippled'ground.

- Fig.3 illustrates aifabric'having .the'st1.p-

pledgroundserge effect and streaks or zones 'thereover, as shown in Fig. 1,-and in addition -'h'av=i'ng what I term a linear over-print illustratedby the-clearly defined boldflines 4. It will b.e"obser.ved that "each 'of these three fig'ures embodies the stipple'd ground with'sergeeffect. a r

The-use of the somewhat irregular indeterminate softstippledcoloring in between the fine uncolored diagonal 'linesyand particularly with the use of grey fabric with soft finish; orovides a fabric strikingly like said diagonal patterned French flannel, and'to the casual observerlooks exactly like a'serge -"-French=" flannel, the softness of'the stippl'ed coloring, together with the greyish color and Isoft flnish5 reatly reducing the harsh ieffect that would be produced bysimply printing colored diag'onal llines onthe cotton fabric. -In" factgev'en upon a close-examinationby "one not thoroughly" familiar withfabrics; the said printed"cottonffabrichas every appearance of the said French serge-finish flannel. =B eca'use"of the relative cheapness' of cotton ascompared'with wool as wellaas because of 'theirelative' coolness of the cotton as com paredto Wool for 'sun'1mer use, the said -='printed"cotton fabric is highlydesi-rablen It give'st'he"outing effectof a-Fl'encli flannel -"shirt wigthout 'the cost and the undesrrable warmth' of "the wool insummer.

The 'aboveun'entioned' serge effect may be *usedsimply with the stippled ground tone above described, or it may be used in' conjunction with the t streaky effect also" de scribed in my 1 said 'copending application.

the said copending application 'I claim the eotton fabric with the Streaky bffect t on "the -stippled g-round tone, regard l e ss'- 1 of Whether the fabric'may be so printed as to "also give-theser e effectherein' described and claimed. I I g Another feature of the' present invention fishermen a printedcottonfabric resem- '--"bling French flannel of the character 'used for shirtings';on which cottonfabric one surface printed tor'es'emble French flanne'l' of I 'an sharewar -above me'ntienedawhile the other surface is printed over to give said stippled ground tone effect with or Withoutan additional characteristic of the French flannel, so that" said second mentioned or back surface of the cotton fabric is sufliciently similar in appearance to the first mentioned or'front surface to represent the back of said woven flannel fabric, the front surface of which is represented by the front I 'ferent in appearance so that a cutter can tell one from the other'and thus avoid any errors in cutting garments, such for example as havingthe back of the fabric exposed for the collar or cuffs while the front of the fabric is exposed for theirest of the garment. I :have found that where bothsides of the'c0t "ton fabric are printed the same, the cutters have frequently exposed'the wrong side of the fabric in=making up'parts of garments, (and even'although the printing may be the same on both surfaces the finish is or may not be the same, and the-mistakecan be detected by close observations, hence the importance of printing-both sides of the cotton fabricwi'th a flannel-like effect having one distinguishable from the other in character or effect. I

For example, as 'shown -in"Fig. 1; I may print on the right or uppersurface the 'stippl'ed' ground "effect'so applied as toimit'ate' the serge flann el with the Streaky effect 'over the 'same, and I may omit the Streaky effectfrom the-reverseorunder surface', as shown in F ig. 2 or I mayapp'ly thei'stippled ground tone and streak-y effectwithout serge e'ifect on one surface ancbthe stippled ground serge*effecton =the=other surface, or I :may apply an 'overprin-t striped or checkered line effect over theserge effectground for one su'rfaceg and eliminate saicr striped orc'he-ck- "er'ed overprint'from'the reverse surface. A very satisfactory flannel elfe'ct may be pro 'duced; for example; by prin-ting the 's-tippled ground tone With serge effect and stre'aks on the-upper surface wi th an overprintof bold lines across thestreaks; as shown in Fi 3, and then i on theb'ack of the 'fabricprint the strppledground'tone with serge effect, and

the streaks. 3 These various combinations are fonly by'way'of lllHStIfiJElO-IM and are "not to be considered as limiting the scope of the invention. p

I 'The dots -used =for -thetstippled effect are preferably *of' varying character or outline and -i'rregularly'grouped "or massedto give a-'*s o-ft blending tone to' the fabric, 1 although the dots rare so small :individually that their -withthe bold lineoverpri11t -but eliminate outline or shape is not observable upon casual observation. As mentioned in my said prior application, the streaks on the fabric when used are preferably of the same color as the stippled ground, but have a darker shade due to a closer massing of the color along the streaks or Streaky zones, and also preferably the dots or colored stippling is of one color, some of the stippling dots being preferably more prominent than others to enhance the flannel-like effect.

By various combinations of the features above described a large number of patterns may be provided resembling said French flannel.

While I have described my invention with I particularity in connection with the fabric patterns shown in the drawings, it will be understood by those skilled in the art, after understanding my invention, that modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention, and in the appended claims I wish to cover all such modifications as come within the spirit of the invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. As an article of manufacture, a cotton fabric printed to resemble in appearance French flannel of the character used for shirtings having threads of contrasting color woven therein, the cotton fabric having an even surface printed over with closely spaced fine colored dots to give a stippled ground or tone except for fine closely spaced parallel lines of said even surface running diagonally over the fabric which lines are substantially or sufficiently free of said color to produce a contrast between the stippled ground and said lines to give a serge-like flannel effect.

2. As an article of manufacture, a cotton fabric printed to resemble in appearance French flannel of the type used for shirtings having threads of contrasting color woven therein, the cotton fabric having a soft finish even surface printed over with closely spaced fine dots of the same color irregularly massed to give a stippled ground effect except for fine closely spaced parallel lines of said surface running diagonally over the fabric, which lines are substantially or sufficiently free of said color to produce a contrast between the stippled ground and said lines to give a serge-like flannel effect.

3. As an article of manufacture, a cotton fabric printed to resemble in appearance french flannel of the type used for shirtings having threads of contrasting color woven therein, the cotton fabric being greyfabric with a soft finish, printed over with closely spaced fine colored dots irregularly grouped to give a soft toned stippled ground effect with fine closely spaced parallel lines of its surface running diagonally over the fabric,

which lines are substantially or sufficiently free of color to produce a contrast between the stippled ground and said lines to give a closely spaced fine colored dots irregularly grouped to give a soft toned stippled ground effect, and with streaks of a someivhat darker shade extending thereover, said streaksvextending irregularly in the same general direction and being of varying widths and soft andsomewhat blurred in appearance, said fabric also having fine closely spaced parallel lines of'its surface running over the fabric diagonally of said streaks and substantially orsufficiently free of color to produce a contrast between the stippled ground and said lines to give a sergelike flannel effect.

As an article of manufacture, a cotton fabric printed to resemble in appearance French flannel of the type used for shirtings, having threads ofcontrasting color Woven therein, the cotton fabric having a soft finish even surface printed over with closely spaced fine dots of the same color irregularly massed to give a stippled ground efiect, and having an overprint effect of clearly defined lines of a different color from the stippled ground, and having fine closely spaced parallel lines of the surface running over the fabric diagonally of said overprint lines and substantially or sufliciently free of color to produce a contrast between the stippled ground and said diagonal lines to give a serge-like flannelefl'ect.

6. As an article of manufacture, a cotton fabric printed to resemble in appearance said streaks extending irregularly in the same general direction and being of varying widths and soft and somewhat blurred in appearance, said fabric also having fine closely spaced parallel lines of its surface running over the fabric diagonally of said streaks and substantially or sufficiently free of color to produce a contrast between the stippled ground and said diagonal lines to give a serge-like flannel effect, and having an overprint effect of clearly defined lines extending transversely of said diagonal line darker Y shade streaks extending irregularly 1n the sa ine 7. As an article of manufacture, a cotton fabmcpnnted. f to resemble in appearance French flannel of the character used for .shirtings having threads of contrasting color general direction and being of varying WIClthS ADCl soft and somewhat blurred in appearance the other surface of said fabric, 'belng also printed over With fine dots so as to give said stipple-like soft ground tone effeet and being sufficiently similar, in appearance to the first mentioned surface to represent theback ofsaid Woven flannel fab ric the front surface of Which is represented by the, first mentioned printed effect, but,

; suflicien-tly distinguishing from said first inen-tioned prnted surface to enable the cut-c ter tO dISlQIDgUISlI onefrom the other in making uprgai inentsfrom said fabric.

8. As an article ofmanufacture, a cotton fabric printed-t0 resemble in appearance French flannel 0f the character used for shirtings having threads "of contrastingco'lor woven therein, the'cotton fabrlc being grey fabric With a soft finish having one surface.

printed over; with closely spaced fine colored dots to give'a soft toned stippled ground effeet, and with streaks of a somewhat darker shade extending thereover, said streaks extending irregularly in the samegeneral di rection and being of varying Widths and soft andsomewhat blurred in, appearance, said fabric surface also having fine closely spaced parallel lines of its surface running over the fabric diagonally of said streaks and substantially or sufficiently free of color to produce a contrastbetween the stippled ground and said lines to givea serge-like flannel effect, theother surface of said cot? ton fabric being likewise printed over to give said stippled ground effect and also having fine closely spaced parallel linesl-ofqits surface running over the fabric diagonally of the same and substantially orsufficiently free of color to produce a contrast between the stippled ground and said lines to give a serge-like effect, said last surface of the fabtic being sufficiently-like the first printed surface to represent theback of said vWoven fabric the front surface ofaWhich is represented by the first mentio-ned'printed effect,

but sufficiently distinguishing" from said first mentioned printed surface to enable the cutter to distinguish one from the other in making upgarments from said! fabric.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

e WILLI MJQBAXTERA 

